The life of Minerva McGonagall
by Goldie.dk
Summary: Professor McGonagall wasn't always the teatcher we know from the Harry Potter series. She went to school with Tom Riddle, experienced the Marauders at Hogwarts and fought in two battles against Voldemort. This is the story about her long and eventful life
1. Chapter 1 Hogwarts

_A/N:_

_Hi there. It's been a while, and I've been going over this chapter one more time. I have changed the language to sound more like the 1930s and I've also corrected the last grammar mistakes I could find._

_If you still manage to find some mistakes, please feel free to tell me! English is not my first language, and I'd like to improve!_

_Enjoy reading and please rate and review afterwards!

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**Chapter one – Hogwarts**

September 1937

"Minerva," her mother said in a gentle voice. "It is time to get up. Today is your first day of school, remember?"

Minerva McGonagall opened her eyes. Of course she remembered! She jumped excitedly out of her bed. Finally the day had come!

"I will go and make you some breakfast while you get dressed," her mom said and left the room.

"Thank you mother!" Minerva said, and she quickly put on her muggle clothes – she could not wear her Hogwarts robes before she was on the train because of all the muggles at the train station.

She looked at herself in the mirror next to her bed and adjusted her square glasses. She was eleven years old and she was a tall girl for her age. She was slender, or skinny, if you asked her aunt Selma, her eyes had a dark grey shade and her hair was long, smooth and black. She thought that she looked pretty in her white shirt and tartan skirt.

She plaited her hair into a long, black braid as usual, and fastened a hair slide with a tartan bow that matched her skirt. Her family originally came from Scotland, however, her parents and she had moved from a village outside Edinburgh to London half a year ago, because her dad had got a job in the Department of International Magical Cooperation in the Ministry of Magic, but she loved the patterns and culture of Scotland. That was another great thing about going to Hogwarts: She was going back to Scotland.

She left her room and ran downstairs where her mother waited in the kitchen with some pieces of toast with raspberry jam and a cup of tea.

"So," her mother said and sat down next to her. "Is everything packed?"

Minerva nodded with her mouth stuffed with toast. Her mother raised an eyebrow at the sight. "Easy now, or you will be choking! You have plenty of time; the train does not leave until 11 o'clock."

Minerva swallowed the toast. "Sorry. I am just so very excited!"

"I know," her mother said, hiding a smile behind her hand. She had been just as excited when she was going to Hogwarts for the first time.

"Good morning," Minerva's father said as he entered the kitchen. He sat down at the table and Mrs. McGonagall gave him a plate of toast and poured him a cup of tea. "Thank you, dear," he said and took a sip of the tea. "I wonder when the paper will arrive." Just as he said that, a brown and black owl pecked on the window. "Ah, there it is. Will you get it, Margaret?"

Minerva's mother got up and opened the window. She took the issue of _The Daily Prophet_ that was attached to the owl's leg and gave it five Knuts in return. The owl took off, and Mrs. McGonagall closed the window and gave the newspaper to her husband, who opened it and started reading.

Minerva looked at the front page of the paper. There was a picture of an elderly man with flowing, blonde hair and with a vicious look on his face. The headline above the picture went: _"GRINDELWALD TERRORIZES EASTERN EUROPE!"_

"Father," Minerva said. "Do you recon that Grindelwald will come to Britain?"

Her father looked at her over the edge of the newspaper. She looked into the beady, dark grey eyes that looked so much like her own. "I do not know Minerva. He might come here next if he succeeds in taking over the rest of the continent. However, rumour has it that he is afraid of Albus Dumbledore."

Minerva, being a curious girl with an inquiring mind, opened her eyes wide at the sound of the name. This Dumbledore had to be a great wizard if the much feared Grindelwald was scared of him. "Who is Dumbledore?"

Again Mr. McGonagall looked up from the paper. "He is a very talented wizard. He is both a member of the International Confederation of Wizards and the Wizengamot. There has been some talk of him being on the short list when the next Minister of Magic is to be appointed, but it is rumoured that he has obtained a teaching post at Hogwarts instead," Mr. McGonagall sighed and shook his head. "What a waste of talent." He returned to his paper.

Minerva was even more excited. She hoped to meet this Dumbledore-person at Hogwarts, if he was really that talented!

"I am sorry I cannot take you to the train today, Minnie," Mr. McGonagall said and buttoned his cloak.

"It is okay father; I know you have to work. Maybe next time," Minerva smiled but her eyes looked a little sad.

Her dad smiled wistfully and gave her a hug. "I will see you at Christmas. Remember to write us."

"Of course I will, father."

Her father ruffled her hair, gave her mother a kiss on the cheek and left the house.

"Hurry up, Minnie, no time to dawdle!" Minerva's mom hastened through the crowd at King's Cross station with Minerva's heavy trunk.

Minerva grabbed the rectangular basket that contained her cat, Vega, who whimpered dissatisfiedly. Minerva murmured soothingly to the cat. Then she hurried after her mother towards the column between the platforms nine and ten. Minerva stared curiously at all the muggles at the train station.

"Minerva!" her mother called again. Minerva sped up and soon she reached her mother, who was standing next to the entrance to the platform. Minerva had never tried to enter platform 9¾ before, but her mother had told her about it. She just had to walk right through; that could not be so hard.

"You go first," Mrs. McGonagall said.

Minerva nodded and walked resolutely through the wall with her eyes closed. When she opened them she gawped at the sight that met her: The platform was crammed with Hogwarts students and their parents and luggage and pets. And in the middle of all the chaos a big, red locomotive was puffing smoke out of its chimneys.

"Move on, Minnie!" Her mother gave her a light push in the back as she came through the entrance. Minerva walked towards the train. Everywhere she saw people talking to friends, and people who walked into the train together. She did not know anyone.

The platform was slowly emptying as eleven o'clock got nearer. "You should get on the train and make sure to get a good seat," Minerva's mother told her.

Minerva nodded and gave her mother a hug. She felt her eyes starting to fill with tears, but she held them back. She was a big girl now, she was going to Hogwarts!

"Bye mother, I promise to send you an owl as soon as possible."

Her mother nodded with tears in the corners of her eyes. "Take good care of yourself."

"Of course I will," Minerva smiled. Then she took her trunk and Vega's basket. Her mother gave her one last kiss on the cheek. "Now off you go!" she said, and Minerva turned around and headed for the train.

When she got in she walked down a long hallway to find an empty compartment, but there weren't any. Finally she found a compartment that was almost empty. There were only two girls in there. They were sitting by the window waving at their parents.

Minerva plucked up her courage and opened the door to the compartment. "Excuse me?" The two girls turned around at the sound of her voice. They both smiled at her. "Do you have an unoccupied seat in here?"

"Of course, come on in!" one of the girls said. She was short and muscular, and she had short, bristle, black hair and yellow, hawk-like eyes.

Minerva entered the compartment. The short-haired girl opened the window and leant out to wave at her mother who was standing on the platform. The other girl, who was short and plump and had a kind, round face, leant out as well, and her brown, flyaway curls fluttered in the breeze.

Minerva squeezed in between them. When she leant out the window, she saw her mother standing further down the platform. "MOTHER!" she called. The tall, straight-backed woman turned around and smiled at the sight of her daughter. Minerva waved at her and she waved back. Just then the train started moving. "GOODBYE!" hundred of voices shouted, and Minerva's own voice mixed with them.

The three girls waved until the train rounded a corner and they could not see their parents anymore. Then they closed the window and sat down.

"Well," the short-haired girl said. "I am glad to see that I am not the only one, who does not know a living soul on this train. I am Rolanda, by the way. Rolanda Hooch."

"My name is Pomona Sprout," the plump girl said and looked at Minerva. "What is your name?"

"Minerva McGonagall," Minerva said. "It is nice to meet you."

"You too," Pomona said.

Pomona and Rolanda were both very friendly and soon the three of them were talking and laughing as if they had known each other for years.

The three girls left the train together when they arrived at Hogsmeade station. A tall, broad-shouldered man with a dangling lantern in his hand was waiting to receive the first-year-students. Even though he looked rather young, he had a deep, roaring voice, and he only had to call out a few times before all the first-year-students were gathered around him in a dense cluster while the older students hurried past them.

"My name is Ogg," the big man said. "I am the Keeper of Keys and Grounds here at Hogwarts, and I will escort you to the school. Follow me."

The group followed Ogg towards a big lake where a group of small boats were waiting for them.

"Three students in each boat," Ogg said and took a seat in one of the boats. Minerva, Pomona and Rolanda climbed into a boat together and soon the little fleet was moving towards the castle. The boats seemed to be moving by themselves.

The three girls were staring at the magnificent castle with all its lighted windows. This was going to be their home for the next seven years, and they were impatient to get there.

Soon the little boats berthed on the other side of the lake, and Ogg led the students along a path across the Hogwarts grounds. Finally they reached the castle. When the group entered the Entrance Hall they all opened their eyes wide. Old paintings covered the walls and large staircases piled up towards other floors.

An elderly woman was waiting for them in front of two massive-looking double doors. She was not very tall but she still radiated an imposing authority. Her dark blue eyes seemed clear and alert and her long, greying hair was waving around her shoulders and framing her heart-shaped face.

The Professor requested silence. "I am Professor Merrythought, Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Deputy Headmistress and Head of the Ravenclaw house," she told them when the expectant students finally became silent. "I am here to prepare you for the impending sorting. It takes place in the Great Hall behind me. There are four houses in which you can be sorted: Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin. Each house has a common room and dormitories. After tonight's welcoming feast, your respective prefects will show you the way to your common rooms. Now, if you will please line up behind me two and two, we will move on to the sorting."

The students did as Professor Merrythought told them. Minerva was standing next to Pomona and Rolanda was standing in front of her next to a pale, unpleasant looking girl with curly, black hair.

Professor Merrythought opened the doors to the Great Hall and the two lines of students followed her as she entered.

Countless students were looking at them from the four, long tables. In the other end of the Hall was another table where the teachers were seated. In front of them was a stool on which a worn, moth-eaten hat had been placed.

The room was lit-up by a vast number of candles flowing in free air, and above them the ceiling was an exact copy of the clear starry sky outside.

When all the first-years were standing in a crowd in front of the Sorting Hat, it began to sing:

_To you I might just look like  
An old and battered hat  
But trust me when I tell you  
I'm so much more that that_

_Just put me on your head now  
I promise you will see  
That magic, wit and wisdom  
Is hidden inside me_

_For I can see what's inside  
What's hidden in your heart  
What qualities and virtues  
That set just you apart_

_If you are brave and loyal  
And fair, honest and just  
A Gryffindor you will be  
I tell you, that's a must!_

_But are you smart and clever  
And rational and bright  
I'm absolutely certain  
That Ravenclaw is right!_

_The steadfast and the faithful  
Belongs in Hufflepuff  
For without friends and fellows  
Existence would be tough!_

_The crafty and ambitious  
Those aiming to succeed  
And those who strive for glory  
In Slytherin they'll greet!_

_So put me on your head now  
Come on, don't be afraid  
I'll tell you where you'll do well  
That is why I was made_

When the hat had finished its' song, the older students all clapped and whistled, and the young students hesitantly followed their example.

Professor Merrythought placed herself in front of them with a long list in her hand. When the crowd again was silent, she said: "Now, I will read your names one by one from this list. When I say a name, the student in question comes up here and he or she will be sorted into a house. Let us begin. Ackerley, Rosanne!"

Professor Merrythought removed the hat from the stool as a small girl with a long, brown ponytail faltered towards her. Professor Merrythought signalled her to sit down on the stool; then she placed the old hat on the girl's head, and after a while it opened its mouth and called out loud and clearly: "HUFFLEPUFF!"

The girl sighed, relieved that it was over, and joined her hooting new classmates at the Hufflepuff table.

A couple of more students were sorted. Then the unpleasant, black-haired girl standing next to Rolanda was up: "Black, Walburga!"

The girl walked confidently up to the Deputy Headmistress and sat down. The hat did not need much time to consider. "SLYTHERIN!" it bellowed out. The girl smiled and went to sit at the Slytherin table.  
The sorting moved on. A lanky girl named Crockford, Doris was sorted into Gryffindor, a big, unfriendly-looking boy named Dolohov, Antonin ended up in Slytherin and a tiny little boy named Flitwick, Filius was sorted into Ravenclaw.

Then it was Hooch, Rolanda's turn. Minerva sent her a comforting smile before she went up and sat down on the stool. After a few moments the hat had made up its mind: "GRYFFINDOR!" Rolanda smiled cheerfully and went to sit at the Gryffindor table.

Minerva did not pay much attention to the next names. Now that Rolanda had been sorted, she could not help wishing to go to Gryffindor like her friend.

She could almost feel how the 'M' on the list came closer and closer.

Longbottom, Augusta was sorted into Hufflepuff, and Malfoy, Abraxas was sorted into Slytherin. Then Professor Merrythought said: "McGonagall, Minerva!"

Minerva's legs were shaking a little as she went up there. She felt like she was walking in slow motion and the air felt thicker than before. She could not hear anything but her own heartbeat. Almost everyone in her family had been in Ravenclaw; would the hat find her brave enough to be a Gryffindor like Rolanda?

Minerva sat down on the hard stool and closed her eyes as she felt the heavy hat land on her head. It was very big and it almost covered her eyes. Minerva gasped timidly when the hat started talking. The voice seemed to be inside her own head: "Aha! An intelligent girl, that is for sure," the hat proclaimed. "Maybe Ravenclaw? But then again, there is something else in there… yes, you have something else in your heart. This will be interesting; it will have to be… GRYFFINDOR!" The last word was bawled out over the entire crowd.

Minerva gave a sigh of relief and went to sit next to Rolanda who gave her a hug. The two friends waited for Pomona to be sorted.

A skinny, blonde girl, who was named Pince, Irma and looked a little like a vulture was sorted into Ravenclaw. Then Professor Merrythought called for "Riddle, Tom Marvolo!" A thin, pale boy with jet black hair sat down on the stool. He had a handsome face and dark eyes. The sorting hat took its time to think. Minerva noticed that one of the teachers, a tall, elderly man with glasses and long auburn hair and beard looked a little more observant than earlier as he waited for the hat to sort the boy.

Finally the hat shouted: "SLYTHERIN."

The teacher with the auburn hair frowned imperceptibly and clapped like the other teachers as the boy headed towards the Slytherin table with a satisfied smile on his cold face.

Minerva frowned and looked after the strange-looking boy. There was something wrong about him, something that she could not identify. However, she did not have much time to think about it, because the next name that was called was "Sprout, Pomona!"

Pomona looked nervous, and Minerva and Rolanda smiled at her. This time it did not take long for the hat to decide: "HUFFLEPUFF!"

"No!" Minerva muttered as Pomona walked towards the Hufflepuff table. She looked at little sad, but not surprised.

"That is too bad," Rolanda said. "But we will still see her in the breaks and after school."

Minerva nodded. However, she had hoped that they had all three been put in the same house.

When the sorting was over and all of the new students were sitting safely at the tables, an elderly Professor stood up. He was almost bald and he spoke in a dry, dull voice.

"To our new students: Welcome, to our old students: Welcome back. I am Professor Dippet, Headmaster of Hogwarts. Now this year's sorting is over, and I hope you will all welcome the new members of your houses. Before we eat, I have some announcements to make."

Minerva felt her stomach rumble. She wished he would make those announcements after the dinner.

"First of all, some of you might have noticed that we have a few new faces in the staff this year. This summer Professor Switch, who has been teaching Transfiguration for almost forty-five years, chose to retire. Fortunately, Professor Albus Dumbledore has been so kind as to take up his place both as Transfiguration professor and as Head of the Gryffindor house."

The tall man with the auburn hair that Minerva had noticed before stood up, and the other teachers and some of the students were applauding him. So this was the famous Dumbledore. He was not exactly how Minerva had imagined him; she had thought that he would be a little more awe-inspiring. Dumbledore looked more like a kind-hearted, good-humoured uncle. However, the intensity of the bright blue eyes behind his round spectacles gave the impression of a man who was not as harmless as he might seem. Minerva got the feeling that this was a man you were right to respect.

Professor Dumbledore sat down, and Headmaster Dippet, continued: "I am afraid I also have some sad news. Our former Care of Magical Creatures teacher, Professor Flint had a terrible accident this summer, involving an ill-tempered Graphorn. He is now in Saint Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries and his condition is stable. However, he will not be able to teach anymore. Luckily, Professor Kettleburn here has agreed to teach Care of Magical Creatures," Dippet nodded towards a young, weather-beaten wizard, who stood up and nodded at the crowd.

"And our Potions Master, Professor Slughorn, has accepted my offer to become Head of Slytherin instead of Professor Flint."

The third teacher that stood up was short and had a large belly. His hair was thick, shiny and straw-coloured and his walrus-like moustache was gingery-blond. He looked like he was about thirty years old and he was wearing a purple waistcoat with golden buttons. He smiled and waved at some of the students that seemed to know him particularly well. Professor Dippet seemed a little annoyed by this, and cleared his throat.

"This year's Head boy and girl are Mr. Septimus Weasley from Gryffindor and Miss Cedrella Black from Slytherin," Professor Dippet said, and two seven-year-students got up; a tall, red-haired Gryffindor boy and a pretty, blonde Slytherin girl. "And finally our caretaker Mr. Pringle has told me to remind you that the forest is forbidden area for all students! Well, that is all. Let the feast begin!"

All the first-years gasped as the most wonderful food suddenly appeared on the tables.

Minerva shovelled a little of everything onto her plate, and she and Rolanda had a wonderful evening at the Gryffindor table.

Later on, two prefects shoved the new Gryffindors to their common rooms. It was situated in a tall tower and a portrait of a fat lady in a pink dress was covering the entrance. "Password?" she said, addressing the prefects.

"Whomping willow!" one of them answered and the portrait swung open. The Gryffindor common room was a round room with a crackling fireplace and soft armchairs. The female prefect led the girls to their dormitory. Minerva and Rolanda were sharing a dormitory with the three other first-year Gryffindor girls: Doris Crockford, the lanky girl Minerva had noticed at the sorting, Heliotrope Willis, a short, plump girl with dark blonde hair, and Mafalda Hopkirk a slender girl with long, brown hair.

The girls did not talk for long before they went to bed. It had been a long day, and they had to be ready for their first lessons the following morning.

However, Minerva could not sleep. She was lying in her bed looking into the darkness with Vega rolled up at her feet, purring softly. She had been waiting her whole life to go to Hogwarts, and now she was finally there. She wondered what her parents would say when they heard that she was in Gryffindor. She was happy about the Sorting hat's decision, but she could not help wondering where Pomona was now and how she was feeling. She had not had a chance to talk to her at dinner. How she wished that they had all three been in Gryffindor.

After a while Minerva finally fell asleep and dreamed about all the exciting adventures the next years would bring.

6


	2. Chapter 2 First Year

_A/N: Hi everybody. It's been a while (I've been travelling the world for ten months), but finally I've managed to start writing again. Here's the second chapter of The Life of Minerva McGonagall. _

_Please note that I've corrected some mistakes in the first chapter; I've been going over the grammar and most importantly I've changed the language a little, to make it more typical of the time period. If you can remember everything that happened in chapter one, you don't neccesarily have to read it again, since I haven't made any changes in the plot._

_Please R&R._

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**Chapter two – First year**

September 1937

At breakfast the next morning the Heads of House handed out this year's timetables. When Professor Dumbledore approached the Gryffindor table all the Gryffindors fell silent. None of them knew their new Head of House yet, and they were all excited to get to know this famous wizard.

"Good morning, my dear Gryffindors," the elderly Professor said cheerfully and started handing out the schedules. He appeared to know everyone's names already, and he smiled merrily at the students as he walked up and down the long table.

The first-years were the last to get their timetables. As Minerva reached out for the piece of paper that Dumbledore presented her with, she noticed the professor's very blue, sparkling eyes. Dumbledore smiled kindly at her, and she realized she was staring; she cast down her eyes and blushed slightly as she took the timetable.

When Dumbledore had left, Minerva looked excitedly at Rolanda. "Oh my! I cannot wait to see what he is like as a teacher!"

"You will not have to wait too long," Rolanda laughed and pointed at her timetable. "Our third lesson today is Transfiguration."

Minerva smiled and looked down at the paper in her hand. Rolanda was right, but they had History of Magic and Herbology before the Transfiguration class.

"I am looking forward to the Flying lessons," Rolanda said and looked at the timetable again. "But we do not have Flying until Wednesday. Are you a good flyer, Minerva?"

Minerva smiled at the sudden thought of flying high above the ground on a broomstick. "Yes, I believe I am. I love flying and I played a lot of quidditch when I lived in Scotland."

"Is that so?" Rolanda looked surprised. "I thought you were more of a… bookish kind of girl."

Minerva laughed. "I suppose I am a pretty good mixture. I love reading but I also love quidditch. It is too bad they will not let us play until next year."

"Yes it is," Rolanda said. "Which position do you play?"

"Chaser. And you?"

"I am a seeker," Rolanda applied proudly. "Next year you and I should try out for the Gryffindor team!"

"That is a deal," Minerva said. Just then they were interrupted by a loud flutter of hundreds of owls delivering the morning mail. The McGonagalls' family owl, Merlin, landed in front of Minerva.

"Hello, Merlin," she said, and stroked the feathers of the old horned owl as she took the little package that was attached to the leg of the owl.

She opened the package as Merlin started pecking her cornflakes. It contained a small box of sweets and a short letter from her parents:

_Dear Minerva._

_We hope that you are fine at the school, and we cannot wait to hear what house you are in! (Father's guess is Ravenclaw, mother is not so sure.)_

_Write us soon, we miss you already._

_Love _

_Mother and father._

Minerva smiled. She did not have time to write a long letter now, but she tore off a piece of the brown wrapping paper from the parcel and found a quill and some ink in her schoolbag. Then she wrote a quick note that she attached to Merlin's leg:

_Dear mother and father._

_Thank you for the sweets!_

_Here everything is well. And mother was right, I am not in Ravenclaw, I am in Gryffindor!_

_I have to go to class, but I will tell you more when I have the time._

_Love, Minerva._

Minerva gave Merlin a biscuit from the parcel and followed him with her eyes as he joined the other departing owls. Then she turned to look at Rolanda, who had received five chocolate frogs and a letter from her own parents.

"We must be going so that we will not be late for our first class," she said. Rolanda nodded and the two girls got up and left the Great Hall and went up the stairs from the entrance hall to the first floor, where the History of Magic classroom was supposed to be located.

"Let us see… classroom seventeen…" Minerva looked up from her timetable. "Here it is!"

Some other first-years were already crowding around the door to the classroom to get in. Minerva and Rolanda joined them and found themselves a seat in the second row. Just then a bell signalled the start of the first lesson. The last students entered the classroom and sat down.  
They were having History of Magic together with the Ravenclaws, and Minerva saw the extremely small boy and the vulture-like girl that she had noticed at the sorting, along with some other people she did not recognize.

After a few minutes the door opened and a professor, who looked like he was at least two hundred years old, entered. He had thin, pearly-grey hair, his skin was incredibly shrivelled and he wore a pair of round glasses with very thick lenses. He walked slowly towards the blackboard. Then he turned to face his class.

"Good morning, young Hufflepuffs," he said. His voice was dry, wheezy and extremely monotonous. "I am Professor Binns, and I am teaching History of Magic, which is… What is it young man?"  
Binns stared irritably at a Ravenclaw boy, who had had the cheek to raise his hand in the middle of his introduction.

"I am sorry to interrupt you, Professor, but we are not Hufflepuffs. We are Ravenclaws and Gryffindors."

Professor Binns grunted impatiently and scowled suspiciously at the class, then at the boy, and then back at the class. He stood like that, frowning for a while. Then he seemed to decide that they weren't Hufflepuffs after all. Again he turned to the boy who had interrupted him. "Thank you, Mr…?"

"Johnson, sir."

"Thank you, Mr. Jefferson. Now, what I was about to say was that History of Magic is a very fascinating subject, which is built on many years of tradition. I am sure you will all find a great enrichment from this subject, which is, if one becomes absorbed in it, incredibly intriguing…"

The professor's voice, which just kept droning on and on, was tremendously sleep-inducing; even Minerva, who normally liked history and wanted to do good in her first class was captured by the drowsy atmosphere that spread like wildfire in the classroom. Soon every single student was staring into space, completely unable to pay attention to Professor Binns' monotonous flow of words.

Finally, after what felt like hours, the bell rang and woke the student from the trance. They slowly packed up and left.

Rolanda yawned loudly as they left the classroom. "By Merlin's pants! I have never heard anything that boring in my entire life!"

"Me neither," Minerva said.

"Well at least you managed to raise your hand and say something intelligent now and then. I was so paralytic I could not even lift my arm."

Minerva smiled. "I am sure Herbology will be better."  
Just as she said that they heard a girl's voice behind them: "Minerva! Rolanda! Wait up!"  
They turned around and saw Pomona and another girl from Hufflepuff hasting towards them. "We are going to have Herbology together!" Pomona said happily when she reached her friends. "This is Augusta Longbottom, by the way." The girl next to Pomona was short and thin with a round face and mousy pageboy hair.

The girls said hello to each other, then they went downstairs and out the large double doors towards the greenhouses that were situated outside on the Hogwarts grounds.

The Herbology lesson went very well, and was a whole lot more fun than the lesson of History of Magic. The students were put in teams of three at each table – Minerva, Pomona and Rolanda were working together – and they were each given a honking daffodil to spread dragon dung around. The teacher, a friendly little wizard called Professor Beery, walked around from table to table and corrected the student who spread too much or too little dung. Pomona turned out to be really good at it; Professor Beery praised her for her good work, and the daffodil uttered small, contented honks.

After the Herbology lesson it was finally time for Transfiguration. Minerva hurried to the classroom five minutes early to get a good seat, dragging a confused Rolanda after her. The classroom was completely empty, and they sat down on the first row to wait.

"Which broom are you flying at home?" Rolanda asked.

"Oh, I just have an old Comet 140," Minerva said and blushed. It was a really old broom. "However, I really want the new Cleansweep three. I think I will wish for it for my birthday."

"I see," Rolanda said. "I like the old models. I have an old Silver Arrow, and it still works like a charm."

Minerva was impressed; The Silver Arrow was a classic, very few people had one of them.

At that point the students were starting to fill the classroom and soon after everyone was seated Professor Dumbledore made his entry. He smiled welcomingly at all his new students, and Minerva liked him at once.  
"Welcome to Transfiguration, Gryffindors. Transfiguration is an incredibly interesting but also unimaginably dangerous kind of magic. Imagine accidentally turning your grandmother into a longcase clock, and not being able to turn her back to normal again!" Dumbledore looked serious, but there was a humorous twinkle in his bright blue eyes, and some of the students laughed uncertainly. Dumbledore smiled.

"But fear not!" he said and clapped his hands. "I will teach you everything you need to know. All I require from you is that you listen carefully, and that you take good care in my classes, and then I am certain we will have a splendid time!" Then the Professor turned his hat into a toucan and back again which made all the students utter impressed gasps.

They spent the lesson trying to turn a shoelace into a worm. No one succeeded one hundred percent, most only managed to make the shoelace turn pink and wriggle a little. Minerva, however, was very close, her worm just had brass aglets in both ends, and Dumbledore said that he was sure she would be able to do it the next time.

The months passed by with what seemed to be impossible speed. Minerva was doing well in all of her classes, but especially in Transfiguration which quickly became her favourite class.

On October 4 Minerva turned twelve. She did not receive the broomstick that she had wished for, since her parents thought it was unnecessary now that she could not bring it to Hogwarts anyway. Instead her parents gave her two books: "Quidditch Through the Ages" and "An Introduction to Advanced Transfiguration", both of which she read with great interest.

As Christmas came closer the amount of homework slowly increased and the classes became harder and harder. All the students began looking forward to the Christmas break.

December 1937

"Mother!" Minerva ran as fast as she could with her heavy trunk on a trolley, through the crowd at platform 9¾. Her mother turned around and when her eyes found Minerva she smiled and walked swiftly towards her daughter. The two of them hugged each other tightly.

"How have you been? Your father and I simply cannot wait to hear everything," her mother said when she let go of Minerva. She quickly inspected her daughter. "And how you have grown! Soon you will be as tall as I am."

Minerva laughed. Just then a voice called her name, and a moment later Rolanda and Pomona appeared at her side.

"We did not even have the time to say goodbye to you before you vanished from the compartment!" Rolanda said with a humorous smile.

Minerva blushed slightly. "I am sorry; I just saw my mother and had to get to her before she disappeared in the crowd."

Rolanda and Pomona laughed.

"Mother, this is Rolanda Hooch and Pomona Sprout. They are my best friends at school."

Mrs. McGonagall greeted the girls and they chitchatted for a while, until Pomona's mother found them and Pomona had to go. Rolanda said that she had to go look for her father as well, and they all said goodbye.

It was a wonderful Christmas. Minerva was glad to be with her parents again, and they both listened patiently as she told them everything about Hogwarts. They seemed pleased that everything was going so well for her, and her father praised her for her good work in class.

As lovely as the Christmas break had been, Minerva could not wait to go back to Hogwarts, and when she was once again leaning out the window of the Hogwarts Express waving at her parents with Pomona and Rolanda at her side on January 2nd she could not be any happier.

In school everything kept going well for her. Minerva constantly improved in every class, and especially Professor Dumbledore was very impressed by her skills.

The rest of the year did not vary much from the ordinary. The students went to classes, did their homework in the library or in the house common rooms, and once in a while they went to see a quidditch match. Pomona and Rolanda did not do as well in all the classes as Minerva, but on the other hand they did not seem to mind. Rolanda indeed proved to be an excellent flyer and Pomona kept doing well in Herbology class. Minerva still loved Transfiguration more than any other class, and History of Magic just kept getting more and more boring.

In June Minerva did well in all of her exams, but she was most excited about the Outstanding she got in her Transfiguration exam.

The third week in June Minerva returned to her parents for the holidays. She was happy to see them, and Pomona and Rolanda came to visit several times, and she visited them as well.

Being home was wonderful, however, just as after the Christmas break, she couldn't wait to return to Hogwarts.

4


End file.
